Battle: Lady Fiona Hindlip, pictured in 2011 with her daughter Kirstie Allsopp, has died of breast cancer after she was first diagnosed with the disease in 1987

The mother of television presenter Kirstie Allsopp has died of breast cancer, just months after the star's sister revealed she had undergone a double mastectomy to protect her from the disease.

Lady Fiona Hindlip, an interior decorator, died at her home on Monday following a 26-year battle with the disease at the age of 66.

Last year Kirstie's sister Sofie, also a television presenter, told how she had elected to have the cancer-prevention surgery over fears she might develop the disease, which also struck her maternal grandmother and other female relatives.

Sofie, 33, underwent the preventative double mastectomy to remove
both her breasts in November 2010, followed by reconstructive surgery, in order to
reduce her cancer risk by 90 per cent.

‘I
have spent my life watching my
mother struggle with breast cancer, worried that I might lose her,' she
said, speaking out after actress Angeline Jolie revealed she had also
had the potentially life-saving surgery.

'So,
for me, it was a very simple, logical decision to remove a part of my
body which could potentially kill me.'

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She was in remission for seven years, undergoing further treatment when the breast cancer returned, but nine years later she was diagnosed with secondary cancer.

Family tragedy: The death of Lady Hindlip came just months after Sofie Allsopp (left), revealed she had elected to have a double mastectomy after fears she might develop the disease

‘Our mother is an incredibly brave woman who never let the cancer encroach on our lives,’ said Sofie last year.

‘She talked about it openly, but always tried to minimise the impact on us by being optimistic, very positive and pro-active about her treatment.

'She dealt with it with dignity and grace, trying to make the least of it.’

Kirstie added: ‘Mum was always very discreet, stoic and amazingly brave, but we were aware of the impact it had on her, and it was hard for us to see her suffer.’

Wife and mother: Lady Hindlip, pictured with her husband in 2011, had two other children, art dealer Henry, 40, and Natasha, 27

Both Allsopp sisters were told by a geneticist that their chances of developing cancer could be as high as one in three.

However, at the time Sofie spoke out about her operation, Kirstie, 42, said she had decided to opt for a wait-and-see approach and had instead decided to go forregularbreast scans and adopt a healthier lifestyle.